


Roses and Blood

by Nyreena26



Category: Danny Phantom
Genre: F/M, vampire
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-04
Updated: 2014-10-04
Packaged: 2018-02-19 21:57:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 23,391
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2404325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nyreena26/pseuds/Nyreena26
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Twenty years ago, a royal family that once governed a tiny kingdom disappeared and no one knew that it was a vampire that took them out. Two decades later, his servant sneaks out and begins to figure out who he really is, what has happened to his family, and find true love before the creature that destroyed everything has a chance to do it all over again.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. At The Beginning of A Tragedy

A long time ago, there was a small kingdom that was nestled in a vast sea of mountains that consisted of a large town that was built in a giant valley that was set deep into the elevation. It was a peaceful realm until about twenty years ago that a mystery began to unfold as the king, queen, and two princes suddenly disappeared without a trace. Rumors started to quickly spread of foul play or simple desertion but no one could figure out exactly what happened to the monarchs and soon the whispers died away and nothing else was done to find the missing family.

Seeing that there was no king the nobles in the village banded together to decide who would be the one to rule their tiny domain but all that came out of it was heated arguments and no decision. Three years went by without a conclusion but finally one had too much of the fighting. At another meeting he stood in front of them all and said that enough was enough. Taking a stand he said that is family would govern the area until such time the rightful ruler would return or fate would decide on who be the new king. Seeing that he would take no for an answer the other nobles agreed with this plan and placed the Dark family as the temporary monarchs of the land.

But surprisingly enough no one had the courage to go up to the castle that sat atop a mountain pass and see what had happened inside. The halls were trashed, the beautiful decorations destroyed and now instead of bright happiness and peace a dark sadness and evil crawls through the walls of the stone fortress. Nobody had a reasonable clue as to what kind of creature had infiltrated and destroyed the royal family. The monster was a demon, a vampire to be exact, who had been eying the small city for quite a number of years but was planning the perfect takeover for even longer. That was until he had a stroke of genius and came up with a plan to get rid of the royals but since the entire family were ghosts it would be hard to kill someone who is already dead. That was before he found out one of their weaknesses: a strange flower known as blood blossoms and their extract could use as a poison to end their afterlives permanently. After making enough of the juice he used it on his blade to stab the king and queen after he made his move on the palace. The youngest runt had managed to disappear somehow but he wasn't paying attention while on his rampage. The eldest son, on the other hand, wasn't going to go down without a fight. The two duked it out but the beast managed to get the upper hand and win the fight.

Figuring that he might need someone to guard him while he slept during the day the Nosferatu blocked the young prince's memories, every single one of them, with a powerful spell and made him his servant ordering him never to go out, never to leave the castle, and to always obey his every command or else he would be killed on the spot. But what the villain never figured was that the man's curiosity was going to get the better of him one day and soon unravel everything the monster was working so hard for so long and be his undoing.


	2. A Chance to See The Outside World

_......Twenty years later........_

Another day. Another day that was the same in and the same out for the young ghost named Darren. Wake up, wander around the castle for hours on end until sunset, then be at the beck and call of his master the vampire Vladimir Masters whose vampiric nature had been corrupted by ectoplasmic energy and turned him into a nosferatu halfa. After serving his taskmaster all night long and making sure that he was comfortable in his coffin when the rays of sunlight started to peak over the castle then it was off to bed for just about two or three hours then the course would repeat itself over and over again. To the spirit it was like he was doing this for centuries but for some reason he couldn't remember for how long he had been serving his master.

For that matter pretty much all of his memories were mysteriously missing from his mind. The ghoul had spent many, many hours trying to figure out what they were but to no avail he just couldn't remember a single shred of them. Mostly what he got from this was a severe headache and had to go rest to get rid of it. But he never gave up on this endevor that he vowed. He knew that he had memories and knew that one day he would be able to see them clearly and vividly again.

It would be a little easier to try to remember if he was allowed to go past the castle door but Darren was forbidden to never step one foot outside by Masters, warning that if he ever did the ghost would die where he stood. Why he was prohibited made the specter always wonder what was out there that the creature didn't want him to see. The ghoul's curiosity was filled with so many theories and possibilities of what laid beyond the mountains or even down the main path that lead down to city that sat in the valley below. He yearned to just one day slip out, head straight down that road, and see what the town had to offer. Of course, he wondered if his keeper would discover him gone and get very angry. It would then make him shake in fear in how bad the punishment would be. It could be worse than what he got now if he really got out of line which was being chained up in the dungeon and flogged for about three hours.

Just the thought of it made him quiver in pain from the last one which occurred only three days ago. Luckily he could recover quickly but the sting still remained in the young man's skin. But after his wondering finally got the best of him the ghost decided that he was going to make the trip and just suffer through the consequences if there were any. He planned it so that when the vampire went to sleep he would wait about an hour after to make sure that the monster was fast asleep then climb out one of the broken windows and follow the trail down into the tiny metropolis below and return just a couple of hours before the sun set and act like he had never left the castle but secretly keep the memories of this adventure to himself for a long, long time. 

It was the night before the spirit was going to make the venture and he was making sure that everything that he did seem perfectly normal to his boss. He followed orders to the point, didn't talk back, and was the model servant. It struck Vladimir as odd that his serf was acting so calmly and following his every command to the letter. The creature of the night figured that for once the ghoul was finally starting get the gist of what he was employed to do. As the faint colors of dawn appeared on the horizon the nosferatu was crawling into his coffin that was located in what was the throne room, propped up against the steps of the throne platform in front of the old king's chair. Watching him settle in Darren was trying his best not to lose his nerve the time crawling so close to the end. Once the lid was shut and silence ensued once more the ghost watched the light of the sun creep over the mountains through the wide balcony that sat off to the side of the room, counting the seconds that turned into minutes which then turned into one full hour.

Seeing that his chance had come the spirit quickly moved down to the first floor and into the room that he had found the best window to climb out of and stepped out onto the rocky slope. His exhilaration was climbing as he walked around the fortress to get to the main road he suddenly thought of something. The mostly used path would probably take more than just a couple of hours to walk down. Suddenly his plan started to look like it was going to be an impossible mission. But his hopes were quickly lifted when he saw that there was a shortcut for emergencies and was he in one. Not wanting to waste anymore time he rushed onto the trail and about an hour and a half later his eyes was seeing the city for the first time. It was another two hours before he was walking into the limits of the metropolis and was astounded by the sights and sounds of everything that was going on as the citizens were beginning their days.

Yet there was so much going on it was starting to overwhelm the ghost a little too much. Trying his best to duck around a few people that were coming right at him he was knocked backwards by one and the next thing he knew he had knocked into someone who wasn't too happy about it. Getting a cruel smirk on his face the human being said to his friends that surrounded him, “Hey, guys, looks like someone doesn't know how to walk right. Maybe we need to teach him how. Am I right?”

The cronies giving similar grunts of agreement the apparition turned to face them and say, “Please, I don't want any trouble. I was knocked out of the way by someone and accidentally fell into you. There was no intention of doing that to you on purpose. Again, I'm sorry but it wasn't my fault.”

“Sorry, but someone's got to pay the consequences of disrespecting me, one of the highest nobleman in town. And by the looks of thing you're the only one here,” the aristocrat disagreed, a vicious glint shooting across his eyes. “Boys, let's get him and show him how things are run around here.”

Fear flashing through his bright green orbs Darren quickly took off down the road, the lower classed men following right after him. The chase continued throughout the many street markets and neighborhoods. The group almost managed to catch up to the ghoul a couple of time but he managed to a few feet ahead and elude being captured. It then entered the restaurant district and the commotion that it was causing was starting to destroy the peace of the area, especially for four friends who were enjoying a wonderful breakfast until the ruckus passed by the building and interrupted their meal. Seeing that there was an issue that she needed to take care of one of the quartet quickly got up, stepped outside to see what was happening, and followed. The pursuit finally ended in an alleyway when the nobleman managed to trip the spirit down who crashed into the ground, quickly recovered and crawled into a ball next to a bunch of trash that sitting nearby. The group then quickly surrounded him and raised their fists ready to deliver a nasty beating.

“Hey!,” a voice shouted from behind, stopping their strikes as they were coming down. “Just what in the good light above is going on here?”

“Now, who in their right mind is-,” the aristocrat snapped turning around to see who had stopped him and forgot what he was about to say next when he recognized the person glaring at him.

It was the temporary king's daughter, Nyreena Dark, her royal blue hair shining in the morning sun and her ice blue eyes glowing with anger and rage at the scene before her. Her dress, a black and blue everyday gown with a corset and long billowing sleeves that hung off her shoulders clearly showed her body language that she did not approve this sort of behavior. His cruelty instantly switching to quaking fear the nobleman asked, “L-l-lady Nyreena, what a surprise. What, uh, brings you by on this wonderful day?”

“Oh, nothing much,” the young ghostly woman answered while she walked closer. “I was just enjoying some time with my friends when all of a sudden our meal was suddenly interrupted by your gallivant through the streets. Just who are you picking on now, Kalstros?”

“Nobody, absolutely nobody,” the young man replied sheepishly, knowing that he was in a heap of trouble already. “It was just someone who rudely ran into me nothing more.”

“Uh huh. And you really expect me to believe that, do you?,” the temporary princess asked, not buying the story one bit. “Look right now I am in a forgiving mood at the moment and if you don't want me to loose that I suggest you and your friends get out of here before my temper gets the best of me.”

One of the cronies who didn't believe her leaned over and whispered to a buddy next to him, snickering at the same time, “Hah, I'd like to see her try. She's so prim and proper all she might do is just go and get the guards to punish us.”

Unfortunately she heard every word that he said and that forgiving mood went right over the mountain range. Suddenly the woman's hands had lit up and caught on fire yet her skin never burned. Raising them up her expression shifted to a horrific glower and fired several fire balls that sent the group of men scurrying for their lives, tripping over each other as they tried to dodge the flaming spheres. Once that they fled the phantasma's hands returned to normal and sighed to calm her anger down a bit. Wanting to see the poor person that those disrespectful men were bullying she walked over to see who it was and her heart leapt right into her throat. It was another ghost, penniless and homeless by the ratty clothes he was wearing and looked like he was going to shake in fear and fall into a pile of ectoplasm. He was so scared that he had buried his face into his arms and didn't want to look at anything. His behavior making her worry the lady stooped down and placed a hand on his shoulder which surprised him. Quickly looking up to see who was touching him all he could see was the face of an angel staring into his glowing green eyes. Relieved that he was okay the female ghost commented, smiling wide, “Oh, thank goodness. I was hoping that I managed to catch those hooligans before they had a chance to strike you. Are you okay, though?”

Darren tried to answer but the young woman's smile was distracting him. Her expression was showing her teeth which revealed that she had fangs just like his vampiric master. He wasn't sure whether or not to trust her but the phantom decided to take a leap of faith and answer, “Yes, I am. And what he said was a lie. Someone had knocked me into him and he took it the wrong way. I'm just glad you intervened before it was too late. Thank you.”

“You're welcome,” she replied, her eyes filling with warmth and comfort. Figuring that he probably didn't have a decent meal in a long time the noblewoman offered her hand up and said, “Here, come with me. I think you deserve something to eat after that horrible ordeal. You can come and eat with my friends and I and enjoy a hearty breakfast.”

“Breakfast does sound very good,” the ghostly man agreed, the last thing he ate was a couple of weeks ago. “But how do I know that this isn't some kind of trick? I've had a hard time trusting people right away and I don't mean to sound distrusting myself but I can't take being bluffed at every turn.”

“Because, when I offer something or give my word I fulfill it to the letter. To not would go against my family's honor and see us shamed for possibly a long, long time,” Nyreena answered, her vision telling the truth. “And I certainly don't want to be the one to cause that. So will you trust me?”

The servant, by observing her body language and her eyes, knew then that she was someone that could be trusted, even with a life. And her kind and gentle nature made him feel so comfortable and not so nervous about being in the city for the first time. Taking her hand she helped him up and he answered, “Yes, I will. For you, I promise to return this favor in any way possible.” 

“I'll hold you to it,” the contessa agreed giggling a bit at the same time. “Now come on. My friends will be wondering where I went off to and why I haven't returned.”

Gripping his hand a little tighter she lead the way as the both of them walked back to the restaurant the customers having returned to their meals and conversations once they realized that the ruckus had died down. Sitting at a table in the center of the spacious room were three young adults that were about the young ghostly woman's age one was studying a mechanical blueprint and the other two were holding hands and looking at each other with love in their eyes that only two soulmates could share. Grabbing an empty chair and setting next to hers the lady sat down in her seat and said, “Sorry for taking so long. It was that horrible Lord Kalstros and his band of brutes that were terrorizing this poor spirit. They were about to beat him when I got there and stopped it before they had a chance to lay a fist on him.”

“I think out of all the nobles, Ny, you are the only one that have the courage to fight yourself than to let somebody else handle it,” the other woman, named Sam Manson and a lady herself, commented as she looked up from her fiancee. 

“Sam, you're forgetting yourself there,” the temporary princess reminded her fellow highborn. “If only your parents could support of it like mine do. But I know what you're going to say. Your parents are so set in the old ways there is no way possible that they are ever going to change. I even know that they still don't approve of you marrying Danny.” 

“But after they see what I can do to support our marriage I just know they'll slowly come around,” the raven-haired man proved, placing an arm around the woman he loved. Turning his attention to the newcomer he asked, “So, uh, did you get a chance to introduce yourself to our good friend here or did she rush you right down here like she always does whenever she's trying to save a life?”

Realizing that she didn't introduce herself after saving his afterlife the phantasma mentally slapped herself then retorted at her companion, “You just had to point out one of my flaws, didn't you? Of course I rushed him down here. What point would there be if I didn't at least treat him to a hot meal for all the trouble that he was given?”

“It's alright, it's alright,” the serf interjected, placing a hand on the young noblewoman's shoulder to calm her down. “There just wasn't a place to get the formalities out of the way. But I think now would be the perfect time now that we're all together. So I will start it off. My name is Darren. That's it. Nothing else.”

Hearing the ghoul's voice made the halfa wonder where he had heard that voice. It sounded so familiar but he just couldn't place where on Earth he had heard it. Setting on the back burner for now he cleared his throat and said, “Well then, I'm Danny Fenton. This gentleman sitting next to me is my childhood friend Tucker Foley. He's knee deep into his blueprints to make a peep so I better introduce him before he misses out of the conversation.”

“Huh?,” the distracted mechanic asked, looking up when he heard his name mentioned. “Was someone talking to me?”

Noticing the newcomer he asked, “Who's this? Someone Nyreena saved again?”

“Tuck, you've got to start paying a bit more attention, old friend,” the other man chortled. “This is Darren and yes she did save him, from Kalstros and his goons.”

“Oh, well, since he doesn't have a bruise on him I'd say she got to him just in time,” Foley observed, taking a drink of coffee to help keep him awake. “Nice meeting you, and sorry for not being so attentive, but this is important.”

Giving him a glare the purple and black clad girl introduced, “Now that Tucker managed to get in a hello before delving back into his work, I can have a turn. I'm Sam Manson of the Manson nobles. And don't call me Samantha or else you will have to worry about your afterlife.”

“Easy, Sam. I'm sure that he won't dare make that mistake in the future,” the contessa assured, giggling a bit. “And now me. I'm Nyreena Dark of the Dark nobles. My family has been standing in for the missing royal family for about seventeen years now. My father decided to take it upon himself and our clan to keep the balance for our kingdom until the monarchs have been found or a new royal line has been chosen by fate.”

“What did happen to them?,” the assistant inquired, getting quite intrigued at this. “Did they just disappear without a trace or was there some sort of foul play?”

“You must be new in town then if you don't know what happened to them,” Danny figured. “The story is that almost twenty years ago the royals were in their castle nestled high in the mountains then suddenly they had disappeared without so much as a clue to where they went or what might have happened to them. Thousands of rumors sprung up from when the news was confirmed but none of them were true so they soon died away. Then the nobles came together to decide who would be the new king but all they really did was have horrible arguments and no solution. Finally Lord Pariah, Nyreena's father, decided that he had enough of this nonsense and tells them that until either the rightful rulers returned or fate had decided to reveal the new king his family would take charge and handle things from then on out. They were all surprised that he had silenced them all like that and were quickly on board with his decision. Since then things have been normal and the kingdom's peace is till in place but deep down everyone knows that nothing will ever be the same until the missing family is back on the throne.”

Shocked at what he had learned Darren was even more surprised that he and his master were living in the very castle that was described in the story. By what he knew it was the only palace in the mountains by all the maps that were in the library of the fortress. But he wouldn't dare reveal this to the group in fear that he might be persecuted as being a part of the disappearance. Quickly thinking of something he commented, “Oh, wow. That's just horrible for something like that to happen to anybody, let alone a family in power. I must respect your father, Nyreena, for taking such a bold move to help keep this place in order. He is a ghost that will live in honor for years to come.”

“Thank you,” the stand-in princess acknowledged, blushing a bit. “If Father was here and he heard you say that I know that he would be honored enough by the compliment.”

By then a plate of food arrived for the servant who gratefully dug in and ate every bit of it the gnawing hunger in his stomach finally sated and quiet for once in a long while. Once the dish was empty the phantom leaned back in his chair and sighed in content. The others watching him they all couldn't help but feel a pain in their hearts the familiar pain of seeing someone who had nothing while they had the necessary comforts of life. When the bill was paid for all the food ordered the five left the business then Tucker bid his farewells saying that he needed to get to his job before his boss had a cow for being late. Bidding their friend a farewell the foursome walked about town showing their new comrade all the city had to offer. The enslaved spirit was having such a great time he wasn't keeping an eye on the sun's position and before he knew it the light source of the world was starting to slowly sink towards the edge of the mountains. When the group had reached an open area where it could clearly been seen Nyreena pointed out, “Hey guys, look. It's going to be a wonderful sunset this evening.”

Hearing what time it was Darren almost slapped himself in frustration at forgetting to keep track of the time. He needed to climb up the mountain path before the sun had disappeared behind the range and be back at the castle before Masters had woken up for the evening. Getting a worried look on his face he said in farewell, “Uh, hey I just realized that I need to get going before it gets too late. Thank you again for the wonderful day. I'm glad to have met you all and please give my regards to Tucker when you see him. But I must go and hope to see you all again soon.”

As soon as he left the three were very confused by his behavior and wondered why he had to suddenly rush off with giving a more proper goodbye. Quickly reaching the city limits the ghost had found the shortcut he had taken down the mountainside and used it once again hoping that he would be able to return in time before his excursion had been discovered and possibly be killed once his taskmaster laid his dark blood red eyes on his slave.


	3. Bloodshed for A Gift of Love

As Darren was climbing up the shortcut that bypassed the main mountain path to get back to the castle the sun was sinking farther and farther behind the rocky pyramids. He was concentrating so much on trying to reach the location he never gave a single glance to where time was sitting in the sky. Soon he breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the road up ahead. Stepping forth onto the dirt route he ran the final distance to the palace, the last bit of the golden orb vanishing below the horizon. After fifteen minutes had passed the ghost reached the window he had climbed out of and scrambled over the sill crashing into the floor when his foot caught on the stone. Quickly picking himself up off the floor and dusting his clothes off, the spirit quickly climbed the numerous steps to the throne room, entered and rushed to the coffin flinging the lid up to awaken his master. However, he was shocked and scared to discover that the casket was empty and deserted. Staring at the dark red velvet lining he never sensed the presence creeping up behind him. The next thing he knew the ghoul was suddenly lifted up by the neck of his tunic, turned around, and was face to face with Vladimir who was absolutely livid.

“And just where were you when I woke up ten minutes ago?,” the vampire inquired, his eyes starting glow all red as his ghostly side began to emerge.

“I, uh, I was trying to make your first drink of the night, sir,” the apparition fibbed, starting to shake with absolute fear.

“Oh, really?,” Masters asked, knowing that his slave was outright lying. Flinging him to the ground he told the phantom, “Because I know that you would never be late or else you would suffer for it. So here's what I think you were doing. I think you decided to venture outside the castle walls and go down into the city. And if you dare lie to me again, I'll add another three hours to your flogging to what you're going to get now!”

“Please master, I never meant to disrespect you or to disobey your orders,” Darren pleaded, leaning up with a pained look on his face. “Please master. All I wanted was to see a glimpse of the outside world. I was going to return I just lost track of time, that's all.”

His anger finally bubbling over Masters grabbed his serf by the neck and dragged him along, threatening at the same time, “Oh, I'll show you a glimpse you'll never forget. I promise you that. I promise you that.”

A half an hour later the specter was chained up in the familiar dungeon that he was always imprisoned in whenever he was being punished. However, this time would be different and far worse than he could ever imagine. Instead of the usual beating the nosferatu was slicing the ghost's skin to ribbons the flesh quickly healing itself. Before the slits could close up Vladimir siphoned off what ectoplasm he could to save for later as a blood substitute in case he ran out of the good stuff. The creature made sure to go as slow as possible to make the pain and misery as unbearable as possible wanting the enslaved spirit to suffer as much as possible for disobeying his command. After five and a half hours of torturing later the undead monster sheathed the knife he was using for the punishment and said, “I think you've learned your lesson. But the next time you ever try to do something like that again I will kill you the first moment I see you. Do you understand?”

“Y-y-yes, master,” the ghoul stuttered weakly his body sagging from the loss of strength to hold itself up in the chains. 

“See to it that you remember,” Masters ordered, collecting the blood he acquired and mentally unlocking the restraints letting the spirit fall to the floor in a heap.

When the vampire left Darren struggled to get onto his feet and not collapse from the threat of exhaustion. Once he was stable, leaning against the wall for additional support, the apparition couldn't help but shed a few tears at his stupidity. He had planned it out so well but yet he still managed to forget about the time. What he didn't regret about the whole thing was the fact that he had made some wonderful friends and had a wonderful time. Especially with Nyreena. Her fiery courage, caring heart that was as big as the mountain range, and gentle soul had touched him in ways that he couldn't explain. If he had to the phantom swore that when he left that afternoon he had left his heart with her. He didn't know whether or not it was true he only knew that he had found more than the taste of adventure he had also found the escape of love. Watching the last of his wound disappear the specter counted all of the new scars he had gained and almost lost count a couple of times at how many had been cut on top of each other. Giving up on the endeavor, he stumbled out of the cell and back up to the ground floor and to the library, his comfort and sanctuary, and fell onto a chaise lounge falling into a short nap to help regain his lost strength.

Lounging in his private study that he had set as off-limits to his servant the vampire was behind his desk which was covered in maps, history books, and carefully detailed plans written on about a thousand sheets of paper. Instead of going over his massive takeover plot he was staring off into space while swirling a bit of his slave's ectoplasm in a tarnished gold goblet while pondering why the ghost decided to go on that little escapade. He couldn't understand why the ghoul went and deliberately disobeyed him like that and even how he got the gumption to leave in the first place. Without giving it much thought the lord of the night took a small drink and was instantly puzzled by the tang of it. He had drank ghostly blood before and it had never tasted like this. A bit confused by it he took another sip and figured out why when a vision of the specter's memory of the day flashed before his eyes.

What he saw was the images of the ethereal being's new friends and that just set his anger almost bubbling over again. He just couldn't believe that only did the subordinate sneak out into the town but managed to get allies in case he might want to turn on him and ruin everything that Masters had worked so hard to plan for. If that miserable excuse of space told them about him an angry mob might be arriving at any time now. No, no, that would be the last thing that miserable cur would do. Vladimir figured that he was feared enough that something like that wouldn't have happened so there wasn't anything to worry about. For now. Sighing in discontent he finished his beverage then continued his design of terror. Now he had to add a few details to take care of the foursome in case they came poking their noses around here and caused a bit of trouble.

Several days after the ordeal had occurred Darren was in his comfort space mulling over an old storybook when what sounded like voices drifting in on the cool air that drifted through the broken windows that surrounded the room. Hearing them as the wind blew by him the ghost had gotten rather curious since he knew now that nobody had come up here in the longest time. It must be some travelers heading into town which was rare indeed. The last time that a small group of people visited from outside the mountain range was a few months ago. But by the direction the sound was coming from they were coming up not going down. Seeing that this needed investigating the ghoul set his book down, rushed out of the room and up a flight of stairs to a watchtower that had a view of all the mountains but not the city. Once he reached the tower's balcony his glowing green eyes scanned the wide rocky spires for the source of the noise then noticed movements coming up the exact same route he had gone down a few days ago.

At first he couldn't see exactly who they were but when his visual organs saw the familiarity of royal blue hair he quickly felt his heart beat faster than normal. It was Nyreena and her friends that were traveling up here, but why? Could it be that they had noticed where he had gone when he said goodbye to them? If they did, they were putting themselves in some serious danger if they stayed up here after sunset, especially the temporary princess. If she got hurt, or worse, her father would not be forgiving and send a small army after his master and him. The specter was going to have to convince them that they would have to leave as soon as possible without giving it away that he was working for a vampire. And he had a pretty good idea of how to do it.

Heading back down to the library he went to the window that was the closest to the ground, quickly slipped through and landed once more on the rocky slope. Looking around for a few seconds the apparition headed around to the back of the castle where a large bush of wild mountain roses grew untouched for many years. Looking through the giant shrub he found the most beautiful bloom and broke the stem off being careful of the very sharp thorns that grew on the plant. Checking to see that the blossom was undamaged he made the trek back around the fortress and towards his friends going as quick yet quietly as he possibly could so he wouldn't surprise them. Seeing that they were in a close range he hid behind a boulder and called out, lowering his voice to disguise it, “Who goes there? Who dares trespass in my territory and home?”

As the foursome were trekking up the mountainside they had one thing in mind: to find their new friend and ask him why he had to rush off like he did and not give a proper goodbye. Though it didn't bother the three humans the ghostly woman was greatly disturbed by it. Her inner spirit kept telling her that there was something amiss with the young ghostly man that she had saved but it couldn't tell exactly what. The real reason behind the journey up here was so that she could find out what Darren was hiding. Following what a witness had said said where the specter went when she asked around the heiress led her companions up the shortcut keeping her ice blue eyes peeled for any sign of his long silver hair or the glow of his bright green orbs. As the group neared the boulder that the servant was hiding behind and his camouflaged voice calling out made all four young adults stop in their tracks, get on the defensive, and look all around to see where it had come from. Falling back on her fighting instinct Nyreena ordered, “Whoever said that, you had better show yourself. These mountains are under the Darks' jurisdiction and as I am the daughter of the acting king I order you to come out now or else you will not like to see my version of being severely pissed off.”

Almost having to control a snort that he almost made while laughing very hard the serf decided that it was time to show himself or he was sure that he was going to get another beating this time from a very angry ghost woman. Stepping out from behind the large rock he casually leaned against it propping himself up with his left arm he said in his normal tone, “Well, I certainly don't want to see that side of you. I just couldn't imagine what will happen if someone had the unfortunate chance of experiencing that.”

Looking to where the familiar sound came from the acting princess turned back around and saw her new friend standing by the stone she breathed a sigh of relief then pointed out, “Darren, you trickster! You shouldn't have done that especially to four people who know how to fight very well. And with two of us having ghostly powers you would probably be a pile of ectoplasm by now.”

“Wait, two of you?,” the male ghost inquired. “But there to be two one of you must be some sort of half-human, half-ghost hybrid.”

“You're right,” Danny agreed, stepping forward a bit. “And the second person is me. When I was about five I suddenly fainted one afternoon without question and about three days later I woke up and I had ghostly abilities. The only ones that know about this are these three. My parents are hunters that search out evil spirits and people that acquire ghost powers and either destroy them or put them behind bars and if they found out what happened to me I really don't want to think of what they would do.”

Feeling his fiance come up beside him and give him a much needed hug Sam told him, “Danny, I've told you. Your parents will understand if you just talk to them. You just got to give them a chance, that's all.”

“Oh, I always knew that there was a reason that I wanted to marry you,” the raven-haired man replied, cheering up a bit.

Watching the two share a romantic moment the enslaved spirit hoped that he could have the same thing with the woman of his dreams. Moving closer to the blue-haired woman he said, “Look, I'm really sorry for startling you like I did. I really meant it as a simple joke and not the way it sounded when I said it. I hope that you can forgive me for my error in judgement.”

“Of course I do,” Nyreena replied, a bit of her breath catching in her throat. “I understand completely. And what I said it's what I was trained to do ever since my father took over the post. I should've realized that it was you the second you said it. I guess I'm a bit sorry too.”

“Then maybe you'll let this be compensation for both our wrongdoings,” the assistant suggested, holding up the flower that he had been hiding behind his back.

Gasping at the surprise the noblewoman gently took the rose and held by the base of the petals not wanting to prick herself on one of the nasty thorns. Staring at the dark red color she said, “Oh, this is so beautiful. I've always heard of these wild blossoms but I've always thought that they were extinct because of their rarity. Thank you so much. I will cherish this always.” 

“Your welcome,” Darren returned, stepping closer and placing his hand on hers.

As soon as he touched the aristocrat's skin a long lost memory that was locked away suddenly became free and an older gentleman's voice rang through his head as it told a short tale of long ago.

_When your mother and I were young, she would always come up to see me in our family's castle and we would explore the mountain range, and we would always find strange and interesting things sometimes it would be something brand new. One day we had found a strange plant that had thorns growing all over the branches and the leaves were shaped just like a perfect heart. We didn't know what it was or how it was growing in the rocky soil but we dug it up and replanted it in the back of the palace. A few months later the bush bloomed with the most beautiful roses that I had ever seen. It was a sign that it was time for one of the biggest moments of my eternal life. I quickly began planning to propose to your mother and I would give her the most gorgeous bloom to her as a sign of my love._

_When the right time came she came up just as the evening sun was setting behind the mountains the perfect setting for us. Standing with her outside I held the flower behind my back and when I gave it to her I asked if she would spend the rest of her eternity with me she said yes her eyes tearing with joy and happiness unlike anything before. It was by far the best moment of my life, right next to you and your brother being born._

When the voice died away it left Darren in a state of shock that something as deep and buried like that suddenly resurfaced out of the confines of his mind. It felt like it was piece of freedom that he desperately longed for but didn't realize at first. Remembering that his friends needed to get off the slope as soon as possible before Masters woke up for the evening and discovered them near the castle and decide to get rid of them. Clearing his throat he said, “Well, I am happy that you guys came up here but I must warn you that there is a monster that comes out after sunset and roams these ranges and will eat anything that it sees. Please for your safety I ask that you return to town before the beast awakens.”

Hearing that there was a creature with a massive appetite roaming these parts the four nodded in agreement then Danny remembered that he had something to give to the ghost. Pulling out a fancy envelope he handed it over and said, “Here, this is for you. We want to invite you to the wedding for Sam and I. We're sorry that it's short notice but at least there's still a few days left until the big day.”

“Which also happens to fall on my birthday,” the temporary princess added, looking and smiling at the two. “How that happened is beyond me but it is certainly to be a grand party either way. I do hope that you can attend.”

Oh, how he wished he could! To go and celebrate both events with his friends and have a great time was something that the phantom was craving for along time. But he had a good feeling that this was going to happen in the evening and that just wouldn't work at all. He was going to have to pull something very convincing with his boss so that he could attend. Looking at the groom he replied, “I will try my best to get there. Please don't be disappointed if I don't show up but I will do everything to be at both momentous occasions. Now hurry time is running out.”

All nodding in agreement the foursome quickly turned around and headed back down the shortcut to the city and the specter turning around and climbing up to the castle returning through the same window he came out in plenty of time before the sun set. The invitation that he received was stashed inside his tunic and he was praying his hardest that his master wouldn't discover it. For if he did Darren could only imagine the worse that would befall his companions and his crush.


	4. Marital Bliss and Deceiving Illusions

After seeing that his friends had turned around and traversed back down the mountainside to the city Darren had quickly returned to the castle arriving just before the sun set this time around. Climbing through the library window he tidied up the room up a bit returning the storybook he had been reading to its place on the shelf and straightening what little furniture that dotted throughout the place. After which he readjusted his clothes, making sure that the invitation that he was given from Danny that said the ghost was invited to the young halfa's wedding and Nyreena's birthday was safe inside of his shirt and wouldn't slip out at the wrong time. If Vlad found out, oh he couldn't even bring words into his thought process to describe what he would do his friends. Taking a calming breath of air he went into the kitchen, poured a goblet of blood, and made his way up to the throne room. Opening the door the specter slipped in and walked over to the black onyx coffin eying the position of the sun through the balcony opening, wanting to make sure that he was on time.

Taking his usual position beside the casket he watched the last bit of light sink behind the mountains the ghoul heard the click of the lid as it swung open and Masters rose up. Stretching a bit he turned to look at his servant as he bowed and handed the metal chalice to his master. Smirking a bit as he took the cup and drank a bit of the once life-giving liquid and strode out onto the veranda and stared at the oncoming evening taking another sip then turned and said, “Darren, I've noticed that you have been performing up to the task very well the past few days. I must say that you really must have learned your lesson from the last punishment that I gave you.”

“Yes I have, sir,” the spirit replied, his voice calm and smooth as to not alert the vampire of his nervousness about what he wanted to ask of him so that he could venture into town a second time to attend the parties. “After what you did to show me the error of my ways I knew that I never wanted to experience that ever again. All I want now is to make sure that your every whim is followed and your orders completed to the letter.”

“Ah, just what I want to hear,” the creature of the night crooned in satisfaction. “Well, since your such in a serving mood, would you mind organizing my blood collection? They've seemed to have gotten out of order for some reason.”

Bowing once more, the apparition answered, “Of, course. And master, I have recently noticed that we are running low on containers to hold all the plasma you acquire. I was wondering if you will permit me to plan a trip into town to purchase more so that we can have enough on hand to store every last drop.”

Darren knew that it was a long shot but what he stated was actually true. When he was in the kitchen getting things ready he did see that there was more hemoglobin than vessels to keep them in and before long there was certainly going to be a mess on their hands soon enough. Hopefully it was convincing enough for the Nosferatu to believe and let him go. If everything went the way he wanted he could “prep” every detail and wait patiently wait for the big day to arrive and make the trip down and attend the double event then return with the supplies and no one would be the wiser. When his servant talked about the predicament Vladimir faced the mountain range again and took his time to think it over. He never thought that he would ever get so much blood and not have enough on hand to contain it all. Sending the serf down to get more was a pretty good idea but he was getting a sneaky suspicion that his slave was planning this as another way to slip down there to visit his newly made associates. However, he had a way to make sure that his prisoner would do as he said he would. Turning back around Masters replied, “Well, we certainly can't have a mess all over the place once that happens so I will let you go when you know how many containers you need to obtain. But to make sure that this is not a trick for you to go and see your friends, you'll be traveling with one of my soldiers who will eye your every movement and if you slip up even once you will be sorry. Understand?”

“Yes, sir,” the ghost answered, keeping up his composure. “I will get started right away and will let you know the exact number once I have it figured out.”

Turning away the specter started to walk away but never felt the invitation slip around to his backside then fall out the back of his shirt and land on the floor. Hearing a pat from the envelope as it laid on the floor the vampire looked to see what it was he walked over and picked it up, setting the goblet down and sliding the card out of its sheath. And what he ready made him absolutely livid that he had fallen for such a ridiculous ruse such as the one the servant had conjured up.

__

You are cordially invited to attend the wedding of  
Daniel Richard Fenton  
and  
Lady Samantha Alice Manson  
on the date  
October 31, 1655

__

and to attend the 25th birthday of her Royal Highness  
Princess Nyreena Crystali Dark  
following the ceremony afterwards

__

Attendance is by invitation only

His temper nearly bubbling over just like the last time the undead monster, by using his super speed, grabbed the ghostly being by the hair and flung him against the wall. Suddenly feeling his hair being pulled back Darren felt his body being slammed against the wall. Sliding to the floor he took a few seconds to get his head back in order he looked up to see why his master was so angry at him all of a sudden. He then noticed the invite and wondered in shock at how it managed to get out from under his shirt. Seeing that he was right all along the lord of the night stared right into the ghoul's glowing green eyes and said, “And to think you almost had me fooled with that little charade that you displayed. You certainly are quite the thespian when it comes to lying to me for the second time in a row. I guess that you really didn't learn your lesson after all from the last time. Well, I can certainly promise you that this time your punishment will be the worst thing that you will ever experience. Guaranteed.”

Turning away to focus his thoughts the bloodsucker combined several types of punishments while absentmindedly tapping the card in his hand to help pace his thoughts. After several minutes of concentration went by he noticed was he was doing and started to think of a more sinister penalization to throw against his slave. Rotating back around to face the ghost he spoke, “Actually, you have presented me with the most perfect way to punish you without having to use a single weapon. With this I will make you see that lying to me will mean your death.”

Walking over and picking up the enslaved spirit by the back of his neck Masters walked out of the throne room and cruelly added at the same time, “Now we have to get ready. All Hallow's Eve is only a few days away and this has to be absolutely perfect.”

The next few days passed by like they were hours in a day and in a blink of an eye the day in question finally arrived and our brave soul was in pure dread as dawn began to light the area. The past few days were filled with nothing but preparations for the journey down into the city later on that evening once the monster that was his master awoke. After seeing that he was sleeping away in his coffin Darren was in the library staring out the window watching the sun slowly rise up his heart filling up with ache and sorrow, clearly knowing now what Vladimir meant by this being the worst thing that he would ever experience. The apparition was getting so scared for his true love, his friends that were getting married, for basically everyone that was going to be at the wedding/birthday bash that night. How this spanned out into a more simpler term a widespread torture was really beyond him. Was fate trying to tempt him to see this world no more? Or was there something that was guiding him along this treacherous path to help find his long lost memories and who he really was? There was just so many possibliities that were flooding his mind it was starting to give him a massive headache. Crashing onto the chaise lounge the specter's eyes grew heavy and soon was fast asleep in a dreamless slumber.

A few hours later, the serf groggily awoke, sat up while rubbing the sleep from his eyes and flattening his hair a bit. Getting off the modified couch and looked at where the sun was sitting in the sky he figured that now would be a good time to get dressed and get the final preparations in order. Heading out and up to a higher level of the castle he found where his formal attire was laid out and slowly put it on piece by piece. When he was finished the spirit looked at himself in the mirror and saw an image flash before his eyes, another possible memory that had unburied itself from the dark recesses of his mind. However, he snapped that away and got his master's outfit ready to be put on once he was awake. Heading downstairs he checked to make sure that the coach was set for an immediate departure, looked up to see what time it was, then headed back inside to be ready for Master's rising. Grabbing the garment he made his way into the throne room and walked in just as the vampire was stepping out of his coffin. Yawning a bit the evil creature noticed his slave approached and and like in a blink of an eye was suddenly wearing his formalistic clothing that clearly dictated his stature as a lord. Without even realizing it the apparition was holding his employer's wardrobe that he was wearing only seconds ago. Seeing that his employee was a bit baffled by what just happened the Nosferatu grabbed the specter's attention by saying while walking out the door, “Darren, get your head on right, boy. We haven't much time to spare. Is the carriage ready to depart?”

“Oh, uh, yes it is,” the phantom replied, quickly following behind, setting the clothes down in a room while on the way. “It's waiting for us outside as we speak.”

“Good,” Vladimir spoke as the two stepped out of the doors to the awaiting transport. “At least you could handle a few things right this time around.”

Stepping inside the undead nobleman got comfortable while his serf climbed onto the back, which signaled the coachman to snap the reigns and made the horses move, pulling the buggy down the path towards the city below.

A few hours later the elegant wagon was rolling off the mountain path and into the town, navigating through the silent streets to the large manor that sat on the other side of the metropolis where the double event was being held. The valets, who were stationed outside the gates soon heard the clopping sound of the horses coming towards him and a few minutes later the coach had stopped in front of the two. Confused by this new arrival they each look at each other with the same thought that all of the guests had arrived already. Both figuring that it must be the fashionably late attendee and went to go help get the mysterious man out and direct where to park the carriage. Then showing the latecomers through the gates the newcomers walked up the decorated path to the wide open double doors, only stopping so that the vampire could pull out a mask that matched his servant's attire and strapped it onto his head, the covering only masking the top half of his face. The villain wanted to make sure that his serf's friends couldn't recognize him and not make a hiccup in his plans for the night.

Once the disguise was in place the two continued on being directed by the servants where to go, which was the great ballroom that was decorated with an abundance of black and purple decorations. The light were dimmed to fit the bride's preferences for the darkness. The duo had arrived just in time for the ceremony to start. Taking a seat in the rear of the audience Masters pointed to the wall silently telling Darren where he could stand during the function. Doing as he was told the the masked spirit leaned against the panel and was just about to scowl when the music began to play, signaling the start of the event. Watching the procession come through another door the specter recognized the familiar blue hair of his secret love and found her gorgeous in her maid of honor's dress. He couldn't help but smile and be happy for her and the soon to be newlyweds. The songs switched, the band starting to play the bridal march, which gave everyone the cue to stand and watch the bride and her father walk down the aisle. And he had to say Danny was the luckiest man on the planet to be marrying the woman of his dreams. Sam's wedding gown was all black, much to the dismay of her mother, made in a mermaid style with a beautiful purple corset and delicate purple roses covering the bottom part of the skirt.

Once they reached the altar the parent lifted the veil and kissed his daughter, a few tears of joy rolling down his cheek as he gave his only child away. After he sat down and the couple were facing each other the pastor began the procedure, the touching moments bringing everyone but Masters to tears. When they were pronounced as husband and wife the newlyweds kissed each other happily then faced their guests the both of them grinning in pure elation. After they exited followed by their party the audience were directed out of the ballroom so that it could be set up for the reception and the birthday party. Standing off from everyone else the secret party crashers were watching the others converse about what happened and how happy they were for the new spouses.

After a half an hour passed the guests were brought back into the fully furnished party room that was splashed in colors of black, purple, red, blue, white, and silver. As the invitees filed in, the nobles arrived and took their places at a table set up especially for them, the temporary king and queen sitting in the middle. The ghostly slave could recognize who was related to his princess thanks to her father's familiar hairstyle and her mother's facial features. The vampire had noticed the elites come in and his eyes slit, his ruthlessness wanting nothing more than to see them all destroyed and him left in the wake to take what remained over with a cruel iron fist.

When everything was set and the cue was given to start the festivities, the announcer appeared and called out, “Your Majesties, our esteemed guests, ladies and gentleman, I welcome you all to the reception of our new couple, Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Fenton!”

Appearing at the top of the grand staircase was Danny and Sam, each other's arm hooked into the other and traveled down the steps, arriving at the bottom to an arch of soldiers holding up their swords for the two to walk under. After they came through and took their places at their table, the announcer continued, “And now, to present our other guest to celebrate her twenty-fifth birthday, Princess Nyreena Crystali Dark!”

Walking forward atop the flight of stairs the ghostly noblewoman had changed out from her bridesmaid dress to a more formal ballgown with a dropped waist and off-shoulder bell sleeves that opened at her upper arms. Her hair was pulled back into a thick braid with a black-stoned tiara set in her hair and the wild mountain rose that her new friend gave her placed next to her left ear. If he wasn't standing next to his master Darren would have had a look of being blown away written all over his face. He practically had to swallow several times to get his heart to get out of his throat he was that stunned. Watching her descend the stairs it was as if they were the only two there and were going to share a romantic dance. Suddenly a vision flashed across his eyes, the scene changing to a different ballroom and he was watching a very beautiful woman coming down a shorter staircase and meet a gentleman whose high nobility was shown in his stance as he took her hand and led them into an enchanting waltz. He couldn't help but be happy for the two as they twirled around in blissful love. Just as it appeared it was gone and the apparition was baffled by this. It was then that it hit him that he recognized it as another one of his long lost memories that had finally freed itself from the hold of the vampire's spell. Slightly shaking his head to get rid of a headache that had popped up during the unexpected flashback he looked out of the corner of his eye at his controller to see if he had noticed the spirit remember something he shouldn't but it didn't seem like the creature of the night was too busy watching the heiress come down to the ground floor.

After she came through the same arch as her friends did the announcer told everyone that it was time for the newly wedded duo's first dance and it was very touching. While they moved the love they shared with each other could be felt by everyone. As the song ended the mingling began which made the strangers start to feel a bit uncomfortable. Seeing the need to push off to a much more quiet part of the room master and servant were suddenly separated from each other in the moving crowd and had no way of getting back together. This unforeseen spike did not please Vladimir at all. He had to keep an eye on his serf no matter what before he messed things up even further. Though he tried he couldn't break away from the conversation he was dragged into and now had to concentrate on his bubbling temper and not reveal his true nature. Meanwhile, the ghoul was battered away in the opposite direction and was grabbed out of nowhere being pulled to safety from the quickly shifting mass of people. 

At first Darren thought that it was his employer that yanked him from being squashed but looking to see who did it he was met with the familiar faces of his friends. It was surprising to him that they even recognized him with the mask that was obscuring the front of his head. Getting rather curious he asked them, “Oh, uh, hey. Well, I managed to make it but how did you guys managed to perceive that it was me under this thing on my face?”

“Well, you're practically the only one with silver hair and glowing green eyes in the room so it was easy enough to distinguish that it was you,” Sam answered, saying it like it was the most obvious thing in the place.

“Oh, I must have not have realized that,” the truly invitee admitted, a bit sheepishly. 

“Why are you wearing that thing, anyways?,” Nyreena asked, who was confused as to why he was wearing the face covering.

“Uh, I hate to admit it but I wanted to make sure that I wasn't seen by that lord that I had upset several days ago. If he did I was sure that he was just going to upset the wonderful atmosphere around this grand event. So I thought of wearing this and avoid that possibility altogether,” the blue-haired woman's secret admirer replied, coming up with that excuse right off the top of his head.

“Oh, good thinking,” the temporary princess agreed. “I know he's around here somewhere but luckily for you he'll be probably be flirting with some of the other single noblewomen here so I think you'll be okay if you'll just stick with us.”

“Don't worry I will,” the secretive serf concurred giving her a smile. 

Looking at the newlyweds he added, “I wanted to tell you as soon as I saw you that it was a really nice wedding. I'm definitely sure that you two will spend many happy years together.”

“Thanks,” Danny returned, knowing the same thing. “I really don't care what everyone thinks of this, all I know is that we were meant for each other and nothing or nobody will ever come between us.”

Feeling the sense of comfort and protection the young man's wife gave him a sweet kiss which he returned without a single hesitation. Oh, how the memory-less ghost wished he could share that same kind of love with the girl of his dreams. Just like he came up with the idea of how to get them back down the mountain the last time he saw them he gotten another one to open up his feelings to her. Hearing a song start to play he held out his hand to the high-ranked unmarried lady and asked, “May I have this dance with you?”

Blushing a bit she took the gesture and replied, “Why, of course you can.”

The two of them walked out onto the dance floor and began to move around, the melody making them both feel like they were in another world and all they wanted to do was to dance forever and ever. If he had to the young specter could have sworn that he had known this feeling before a long, long time ago. It made him forget about being a nosferatu's slave and made him feel like he was something much, much more. Little by little the party guests were stopping what they were doing to watch the two dancing partners glide through their dance moves. Soon after everyone was watching the scene with great interest. All except one. Masters. When the people that had pulled him into their discussions had stopped when they noticed what was going on, he too glanced at what was happening and almost went ballistic almost losing what little control he had over his true nature. Everything he had planned for was falling to waste. He had to come up with something really quick or else there was going a massive amount of bloodshed around the place. As he watched them spin around he finally thought of the perfect back-up plan to solve all of his problems. Slipping behind the forming ring of guests he transfigured himself to look like his servant, mask and all. And just like he expected everyone was partnering up to join in on the special moment. Using this as a distraction he slipped into the mass of people easily dodging his way through until he found his underling, yanked him out of the way stepped in to finish the dance with the unsuspecting princess. Not wasting another second he waltzed her over to an open balcony and pulled the both of them out of prying eyes that might see what he was about to do. 

Sighing from the dizziness Nyreena was feeling rather wonderful at the moment that the two shared for a while. Looking up into his green eyes she said to him, “That was by far the best thing I ever experienced in the longest time. How in the world you ever managed to get that to happen is going to make an impact that will last for a long time.”

“Well, let's just say that I have a certain way of making things happen when you least expect it,” the disguised villain replied, thankful that he could make his voice sound like the ghost he was impersonating. 

Laughing a bit the ghostly woman reached up to brush a loose hair behind her left ear, the tip of her left middle finger grazing the base of the rose and had unexpectedly pricked itself against a hidden thorn that she had missed when she had removed the others to wear it that evening. Grimacing in pain she looked at the spot where it was poked and watched as the ectoplasm began to well up from the injury. The mere sight of the green blood made the evil man's hunger grow suddenly strong. Forcing it down he put on a serene face and told her, “Here, let me kiss that better for you.”

Gently taking her hand the creature of the night brought her finger to his lips and caressed the wound, relishing the eternal liquid as it trickled passed his tongue. He couldn't remember the last time he tasted something as sweet as this. He only knew that when someone's plasma was this delicious they had a pure heart and were the easiest to manipulate. When he felt the clot forming he lowered the woman's hand and pulled her close, getting their faces only inches apart from each other. Feeling her heartbeat accelerate it only gave him the drive he needed to implement his scheme on her. Looking into her ice blue eyes he hypnotized, casting a spell onto her mind, “Look deep into my eyes. Fall under my power and control.”

Unable to fight it the princess lost all sense of ability and felt numb to the touch as her subconscious was dominated by his. Smiling cruelly he continued, “Listen to my voice and only my voice. Once you hear these words you will be nothing more than a strangled corpse, frozen, incapacitated. You will be mine and mine alone.”

Leaning in next to her ear Vladimir whispered a phrase in a foreign language then returned his gaze into hers and finished, “I know that Darren has fallen in love with you but that will soon be broken. Once it is, I shall be back to take care of your family just like I did his. And then, you and this kingdom will finally be in my possession at last. Until then, see you soon for the final battle for this place.”

Breaking the connection he released his victim from his mental grasp, caught her lips in an unsuspecting kiss, and walked back inside leaving the dame in a bewildered stupor. Transforming back into his normal self without anyone seeing him do it he maneuvered through the dancing guests and found his slave, who had been saved by his friends when he was yanked out of the way and practically thrown off the dance floor. Using his vampiric speed Masters grabbed him by his jacket, flew them through the halls, out the front door and into the awaiting carriage that had mysteriously appeared in front of the gate as if by mental cue. As soon as the two were inside the reigns were snapped and the horses were galloping through the streets back to the mountain pass. When they were on their way the vampire couldn't help but laugh evilly in delight while the ghostly worker was befuddled by what had just happened and why they were leaving so soon. The coach rumbling onto the road to the castle, the mastermind thought to himself, “Now, the real plot begins for us all. And soon my triumph will be at hand and nothing will be able to keep me from my ultimate prize!”


	5. The Beginning of The End

A few days later Danny and Sam were taking off on their honeymoon, riding on horseback up the mountain path and on their way to their romantic destination. As they were leaving Nyreena and Tucker had come to seen them off, the princess looking a bit under the weather. Which in the newlyweds opinion was particularly odd since Nyreena was never sick a day in her life. It was just as odd as what had happened to Darren during the party when out of nowhere he was suddenly swept up by a strange force and disappeared out of sight. Sending the guards to search for him they came up empty-handed much to the disappointment of the four friends, especially Nyreena who was worried about him the most for some strange reason. Afterwards Nyreena came up to them her walking a bit off and looking a bit ill. Unsure of whether to hold the trip off to see if she was going to be okay Nyreena affirmed that she was just fine and they shouldn't push back their honeymoon for her sake. Either way the couple made sure everybody would be okay without them for a while, said their goodbyes and started on their journey.  
Climbing higher onto the mountain the two had just reached the abandoned castle as the sun had set behind the range and decided to stop and stare at it for a few moments, wanting to pay their respects for the lost family that used to call the place home. Getting the feeling that their respect was paid they were about nudge their horses forward when out of the blue several burly men, or what looked like men, came out of nowhere and ambushed them, dragging them off of their steeds as they tried to fight them off and towards the castle, pulling them down below the castle and into the dungeons, chaining them up side by side in a large cell. As the two tried to struggle to break free a voice from the shadows made them stop to listen as it said, "Well, it looks like I have a couple of flies stuck in my web. And lucky for me since it's dinnertime."

Suddenly out of the shadows came a pair of glowing red eyes and a giant black figure rising up quickly striking fear into the newlyweds. The figure cackling evilly it grew bigger and bigger, throwing the couple off-guard as planned. Seeing that he was captivating their attention Vladimir stealthily drew a couple of knives and unexpectedly began the torture routine erupting screams and wails of pain from his victims. Continuing to torture his victims for several hours on end the couple was literally covered with cuts, bruisies, and their own blood. During their painful affliction they had learned that the man that had imprisoned them was actually a power-hungry vampire with intent to take over their little kingdom and rule it with fear and darkness. Feeling that his "guests" had been properly introduced to everything that they needed to know Vladimir snapped his fingers again mentally releasing the restraints on Danny's chains letting the married man drop to the ground and groan as his muscles tightened in pain. As Danny slowly got to his hands and knees the creature ordered, "Now that you've seen what I will do to those who oppose me and interfere with my schemes I want you to return to the city below and warn all that you see that there is an evil out there ready and willing to take them over and rule their lives with a cruel, iron fist destroying any happiness that they might have if only a very select number of individuals, and I'm certain that you know who I am talking about, are willing to stay away from my property forever and out of my way."

"And why should I do what you say?," Danny spat while still grimacing in pain from the multiple injuries that stung with every movement.

Knowing that he was going to get a response like this Vladimir circled around and approached Sam, grabbing her hair and yanking her head up to expose her neck at the same time baring his fangs as he answered, "Because if you don't, I will make you watch as I slowly kill your wife right in front of your eyes."

Feeling his eyes grow big with fear Danny quickly nodded in agreement and replied, "Alright, alright, I'll go! Please, just don't kill her!"

Grinning in cruel satisfaction Vladimir let go of Sam's head and gestured to the door, saying, "Then be on your way. The sooner you leave the sooner you might save your beloved from an early grave."

Knowing that the monster was speaking the truth Danny quickly took off for the dirt path, quickly finding the exit after a few minutes and ran as fast as he could with what little strength he had hoping to reach the bottom before daybreak and getting the help he needed to save his love's life before it was too late.

*****

Meanwhile, up above in the corridors of the castle, Darren was trying all that he could to prevent himself from losing his stomach at the sounds of pain and suffering that were drifting up from the dungeons as his friends were being tortured by his master. The only thing he had to help comfort himself was the three memories that had freed themselves from their imprisonment. Unfortunately, it wasn't helping a whole lot and just as he was about to finally throw up his eyes suddenly lit up as his vision was flasing with a whole slew of memories that forcibly unlocked themselves from the hold that they had. Through them detailed the tragic slaughter of what looked like a loving family, one that he could have sworn that he knew from somewhere but he just couldn't remember. All throughout the memories they were tortured just like Danny and Sam were at that moment. It was so horrible that he had to shut his eyes and shake his head to get rid of them. Taking a few moments to get his thoughts back together Darren figured that the only reason that all these memories were coming to him was that this had happened before and he was there to witness it and the sheer horror of it made him repress them for all this time. Desperately wanting answers to this confusion he took a deep breath of air, calmed his nerves, and took off for the forbidden areas of the castle, knowing that he was risking his afterlife to disobey his master's orders once again for the sake of learning the truth.

*****

A few hours later Danny finally made it to the base of the mountain the pain from all the cuts that crisscrossed on his body, which by now were halfway healed at this point, considerably slowing him down at this point but he continued on for the sake of Sam's life. Reaching the edge of the city two guards that were standing on duty had noticed movement coming towards them and recognized the injured young man as one of Nyreena's closest friends. Quickly going out to him they asked what happened to him to which the halfa replied that he needed to see the princess right away before collapsing to the ground. Helping him up they carried him to the manor while at the same time Tucker was finally on his way home when he noticed the state his best friend was in and quickly brought up the rear. Reaching the temporary palace they carried Danny to a room and set him down on the bed then went to find Nyreena and tell her what happened. Shocked at the news she ran as fast as she could to the room and instantly felt numb at seeing her closest friend almost cut to ribbons. Going right over to him she asked, "Danny, what in the world happened to you? Is Sam alright? What in the world did this to you?"

"Easy, Nyreena," Danny answered, hoping to get her to calm down. "Don't worry, I'll tell you everything as best as I can. Trying to heal all of these cuts is still going to take a while. And you may want to sit down for this, for it's going to be a really big shocker."

Watching her take a seat next to him Danny sighed a easing breath and continued, "What happened was that Sam and I were riding along and we both had stopped by the castle to pay our respects just as the sun had set and out of nowhere several of these weird looking men appeared and took us prisoner. They took us down into the castle dungeons and locked us up, and as we were trying to figure out how to get out of our shackles this strange shadow with glowing red eyes appeared then started to torture us mercilessly for hours, at least a few by my opinion, during which we found out that the shadow is really a powerful vampire."

Thrown by the last part Tucker stopped his friend and clarified, "A vampire? As in fangs, creature of the night, a monster that preys upon the blood of the living, that sort of thing?"

"Yeah, but there was something odd about this guy," Danny agreed. "Throughout the entire thing I kept feeling like there was another ghost there but all that were in the dungeon were me, Sam, and him. I wasn't sure so I kept holding my breath so my ghost sense wouldn't escape and not let him see it. However, I did manage to sense Darren somewhere up above our heads. It was then I got a bad feeling he was somehow mixed up in this whole mess. When he had enough the vampire let me go and ordered me to come back down here and warn the entire city that there was an evil out there ready and willing to take them over and rule their lives with a cruel, iron fist destroying any happiness that we might have if only a very select number of individuals are willing to stay away from his property forever and out of his way. But I have no idea what exactly he meant by that."

Listening to his story and running through all the times that they were with Darren Nyreena was slowly figuring out what his role was in this huge mess. The evening when he suddenly dashed off when he realized that the sun was setting, urging the four to get off the mountain before the sun set, and wearing a mask to the wedding/birthday gala. Then something in her memories caught her off-guard. She remembered seeing a strange man there that was sort of out of place, someone she had never seen before in her life therefore someone who had never received an invitation to the event. The only possible way he could have gotten one was from.....no, it just wasn't possible. Seeing that she was deep in thought Danny asked her, "Nyreena, is everything okay? You seem to be really thinking about something."

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I am," the princess agreed solemnly then quickly getting absolutely livid and determined, "And I think I know the reason why Darren was there. I think he may be the vampire's unwilling servant. Think about it, the skittish way he acted when he took off the first day we met him, his urgency to get us off the mountain when we up a few days later, and why he was wearing a mask when he showed up to the party. It's all because of the vampire. Guys, we need to act fast before he has a chance to attack us and get the upper hand. I'd say we hit him hard and hit him fast even before he has a chance to realize what's going on. On this night, I vow to extinguish this evil that harms our home and threatens to rule with hatred and cruelty before any innocent soul is taken from us for no reason at all."


	6. A Daring But Dangerous Move

However, Danny had gotten a panicked look on his face as Nyreena was ready to go headfirst into battle without so much as a plan of attack or anything. More than that, if they simply attacked the castle with the element of surprise the vampire that held him hostage would kill Sam with a moment's hesitation and stop them before the heat of battle was on. Grabbing onto her shoulder Danny advised, "Whoa, easy Nyreena! We all know that the reason why you've got your tactical streak is from your father but you've got to rope it in. We've got to come up with a careful plan of attack and figure out a way to save Sam before she dies."

Seeing the logic in his reasoning Nyreena sighed a calming breath of air and replied, "You're right, Danny. I'm sorry for jumping ahead of myself like that. Come on, let's all put our heads together and figure one out."

The two young men nodding in agreement the clustered around each other and came up with a solid strategy that they figured would just might work. A half an hour later they had sent the call out for every able man, ghost, and guard that were willing to sacrifice their safety and possibly their lives and got a major turnout. Informing them to meet in the center of town the three friends were standing on the edge of the fountain and when everyone was assembled Nyreena instructed them, "Alright, everyone. You have all come here to defend our home because of one reason alone: there is a powerful vampire hiding out in the castle that once belonged to our beloved true king, queen and family and he must be stopped before he gets a chance to stop us. What we are planning to do is trek up the mountain to which we will separate into two teams: you will follow Danny down to dungeons and stop any forces that might come your way at the same time saving Sam from her imprisonment and, if you happen to find Darren, the creature's unwilling servant. At the same time I will take it upon myself to distract the monster so you can get the two out then help me finish him off once and for all. Meanwhile, Tucker will remain here so he can coordinate possible evacuations or the remaining forces for a last ditch effort to stop the vampire. So, are you all willing to save our city so it can see another day?"

Everyone cheering in agreement they quickly dispersed to prepare themselves for what could be a fight to the ultimate death. Another half hour passed before the battle mob was gathered together once again and taking off for the mountain path, climbing the slope up to the castle where the battle to end all battles was to take place. However, what they were never aware of was that Vladimir knew that they were coming right at that moment. When he had tasted Nyreena's ectoplasm he was allowed to see everything she saw and hear everything she said. Grinning in cruel glee he came up with the perfect counter-plan that would wipe the mob right out and clench his future bride all in one fell swoop. Figuring that his miserable waste of a servant was off in a dark corner somewhere completely lost in his guilt at what had happened to his friends Vladimir felt that he didn't have to worry about him interfering this time around. Gathering his minions and instructing them to be prepared for a battle that was swiftly coming for them he whisked himself away, leaving an obvious trail of clues for Nyreena to follow, find him, and fall into his trap.

*****

About an hour later the rescue squad arrived at the castle, the moon set high in the sky lighting up the area with its glow. Seeing that they still had some time before plunging into battle they gathered together in a nearby cave and rested their limbs from the long walk. Once everyone was feeling ready Danny turned to Nyreena and asked, "Are you sure that you want to risk yourself just to distract that creature so that we'll have enough time to save Sam and Darren? What if he tries to kill you, or worse...?"

"Yes, I am," Nyreena replied while adjusting her hooded cloak. "If it means having to trade eternities for the sake and safety our our city then I will. Besides, I have a feeling that there's going to be unexpected twist that could definitely be a major factor in what will happen tonight. So, as soon as I enter the castle wait at least ten to fifteen seconds then take the squad and lead the attack. Alright?"

The halfa nodding in agreement he watched as the princess turned and made her way to the palace. Seeing her enter Danny waited the approximated time before signaling the squad to move forward towards the entrance of the dungeon. As Nyreena approached the door she sighed to calm her nerves down a bit then pushed the door open and stepped inside, unable the believe the horror that she was looking at. All the stories that she was told about this being a beautiful palace certainly didn't match up to what she was seeing now. Walls cracked with damage, pictures either hanging askew or ripped through, and a dark, foreboding air that hung everywhere throughout the hallways. Carrying on she hoped that she would find who she was looking for soon so at least she could distract herself while distracting the vampire to get her mind off of this terrible scenery. Walking passed a hallway something on the ground caught her eye which made her stop and take a closer look at it. Getting a feeling that this is where she needed to go she cautiously followed the trail of clues that were lying on the ground. Noticing that they had veered off onto a set of stone steps she walked up the staircase and saw that the trail ended at a set of double doors, one of them slightly ajar. Feeling her nerves come back up a bit she sighed again then pushed the door open and stepped inside the throne room and was stunned to see who was waiting for her there. Standing by the balcony was Darren who was wearing a robe made of rich fabric over his usual clothing and staring out at the starry sky. Never expecting to see the man she couldn't help but admit she was falling in love with she didn't know whether or not to approach him or slowly back out and try to find another part of the trail. Deciding to go for the second option, figuring that she could catch up with him later, she had just started to turn around when she heard his voice say, "Nyreena, is that you? My, I wasn't expecting you to make a surprise visit like this."

Turning back to look at him Nyreena pulled down her hood and replied, "Oh, well, I um, I just wanted to see if you were okay. You had disappeared from the party and we couldn't find you for a good several hours afterwards. I-I mean we were so worried about you that I took it upon myself to come up and try to find you."

"Oh, you didn't have to do that," Darren replied, walking over to her. "The reason why I left was I had sensed something on the premises that wasn't right and decided to lead it away from you all. But I am glad that you are here. It feels like every second that we're apart all I can think about is you."

Going behind her he reached up and unfastened her cloak, letting it slip from her shoulders and fall to the floor, revealing her outfit of a shapely dark red mermaid dress with off-shoulder sleeves that showed off her curves quite well. Amazed by her beauty he rested his hands on her shoulders and said, "You know, you didn't have to get dressed up just to see if I was okay, you know."

"Well, I just came from a little get together and I didn't have time to change," Nyreena replied, turning her head to look at Darren. 

Meeting her gaze Darren reached up and stroked her cheek with his thumb, then suggested, "Well, since you are here how about I give you a tour of this place? I bet you've always wondered what it looked like up here."

"Um, sure, I'd like that," the princess agreed, a bit uncertain about this. "I've always wondered what it was like up here but everyone in town wouldn't dare come up here in fear of something still lurking around the place."

Mysteriously smirking at the thought the servant commented, "Well, I'm sure that there's nothing like that up here now. Come on, there's a lot to see and I'm sure that you will be needing to get back soon."

Linking her arm into his Darren led Nyreena out the door, down the staircase, and through the many corridors and rooms, paying close attention to keep her from his master's study and the dungeons. First taking her to the ballroom he showed her where the orchestra would have sat back in the day then pretending that there was music playing led his guest in a dance that lasted for a few minutes then took her through the many other rooms that led off from there. Leading her up another staircase it let to the highest tower of the castle. Stepping out onto the balcony the two stared out at the great landscape in silence. Looking over at her Darren asked, "So, what did you think of it?"

"Well, even though it's in a bit of a shamble, I think it's magnificent," Nyreena replied, while continuing to stare out over the mountain range. "From all the stories that I've been told about this place it must have been so beautiful before what happened to it so many years ago. But we can only hope that one day soon our rightful rulers will return or fate will step in and present to us our one true king."

Giving her a strange conniving grin Darren took Nyreena in his arms and said, "Well, maybe instead of waiting for fate we could can make our own."

"What exactly do you mean?," the princess asked while she was being pulled in close. 

"How about instead....oh, how to put it, we restore what was lost so long ago?," the servant answered, hoping that she would get the hint.

Taking a few seconds to figure out what he meant the hint finally made sense and Nyreena half-whispered, "Do you mean that we...?"

Smirking even more Darren pulled her in even more and placed a kiss on her lips, she not sure at first but slowly accepted it the embrace growing more and more passionate. As they kissed Vladimir saw his chance and transformed back into his regular self, having impersonated his servant again to trick the princess to fall into a false sense of security and therefore into his clutches. Slowly getting the sense that something wasn't right Nyreena opened one eye and severely wished she hadn't. Seeing that she was really kissing the vampire Nyreena pulled away and growled, "How dare you trick me like that! I will make you pay for what you just did and what you did to my friends!"

"Unfortunately for you, my dear," Vladimir crooned while grabbing onto her head and exposing her neck while she tried to fight to break free. "I have far more greater power than you or your pathetic parents could ever hope to dream of and soon they, all the nobles, your friends, and especially Darren will be dead leaving me a kingdom for me to rule with a cruel fist for all of time. And you to be by my side as my beautiful vampiric bride for all of time."

Hungrily eying her throat he expanded his fangs and slowly moved in, letting her struggle as much as she wanted as he prolonged the inevitable moment when his fangs would sink into her porcelain flesh, transforming her into a creature of the night for all of time.


	7. Revelations and Truth

Meanwhile, traversing through the off-limit areas, Darren was trying to find clues as to why he was getting these strange memories that he didn't know he had. He didn't even have the slightest clue that the rescue team was in the dungeons fighting off Vladimir's forces and his true love was in his master's clutches at that very moment. He was so focused on finding the truth he had no idea that a great battle was soon going to take place. While the tour was taking place below Darren was up on the higher floors, combing through each room to try to find the answers he desperately wanted. Getting no results from his search so far the servant growled in frustration then saw a darkened corridor that peaked his interest. Entering, his eyes quickly getting adjusted to the darkness, he came upon a room that was severely damaged and broken beyond disrepair he slowly stepped through the rubble and destruction and started combing through the broken stones, boards, and other garbage, wondering what could have possibly been in there. Shifting through the humongous mess he discovered a dust-coated mahogany box that felt very familiar to him yet at the same time felt very unfamiliar. Picking it up and wiping the thick layer of dirt off of it he opened it up and beautiful tune began to play, it going a little off-beat a few times due to the damaged components. As he listened to the music he could hear his mother's voice singing along to the tune and the memories of her came back to him like a sweet dream. Closing his eyes he could feel tears of happiness and joy run down his cheeks which helped him remember even more.

Wiping his face and taking a couple of deep breaths he started looking through the jewelry that laid inside he noticed a ring that was strangely glittering even though there was hardly any light in the room, save for the small ray of moonlight that shined through the small balcony. Pulling it out and staring at it the memories of his father came into his mind and started to fill him with a strange strength unlike anything he felt before. He remembered him being strong, courageous, kind, fair, a superior judge of character, and above all never willing to go down without a fight to the end. Seeing a memory of the two together he recognized them from the sudden surge of memories that he had just a few hours ago. Seeing this everything that Darren was remembering was starting to make total sense to him. Recalling the story Danny told him about how he acquired his ghostly abilities when he was just five years old he remembered that his brother was five years old around that time. As soon as he remembered that he had a brother all of his memories that had been locked away were set free, letting him remember what had happened to his family twenty years ago. As he did he felt his powers returning and his true strength filling his every muscle. His green eyes glowing even brighter and his pure white glow surrounding his body again Darren stood up and stretched himself out feeling his old self returning after being locked away for so many years. Closing his fist around his mother's engagement ring the sudden sounds of a struggle that came from above caught his attention. He didn't know whether it was a fight or somebody needing some help but he was going to find out what in the world was going on. Dashing out of the room he went to find a more suitable set of clothes and some weapons just in case he was going to get himself into some sort of a fight.

*****

Down below in the dungeons Danny and his forces were going head to head against Vladimir's army, doing all that they could to fight them off so that they could find Sam, and if possible Darren, and save them before heading off to assist Nyreena in destroying the creature that threatened their fair town. Knowing that he was going to be needing all the strength that he could possibly muster Danny had slipped off to switch to his ghostly form, an almost exact twin to Darren's physical features except being a bit shorter than the servant. Quickly heading back out and rejoining the fight he quickly began beating minion after minion after minion. Pushing his way through he found the cell that Sam was locked in and to his horror she looked like she was on the brink of death. Breaking down the cell door he rushed over to her, broke the chains with two ghost rays and caught her just as she was about to fall to the floor. Carrying her out he turned intangible and took his wife to a safer place where she could at least rest and recover a little while the fight continued on. Finding an abandoned room he set her down against the wall and asked her, "Sam, are you alright? Can you speak at all?"

Taking a couple of haggard breaths Sam slowly answered, "I'm, I'm alright for now. I feel really, really weak. I'm just glad that you're back. I was so worried that you had fallen on the path and wouldn't be able to get back up."

"Well, that was the one thing that I made certain that I wouldn't do," her husband replied with a comforting smile. "Mainly the one thing that kept me going was the fact that I was going to be back to save you so that we could spend the rest of our lives together staying alive. At least now that you're out of harm's way I can finish what we came up here to accomplish and get you back home."

Giving her a kiss on the lips he ran out of the room, shutting the door behind him so that none of the goons would find her, then rushed back into the dungeons and back into the fray. Seeing that half of the enemy was beaten down there were still a lot of them to fight. Sighing a breath of air he summoned all of his powers and strength and jumped back into the fight.

*****

A short time later Darren was finishing getting dressed and strapping on the last of the weapons he could find that were still in good condition for battle. Setting a medium brimmed-sized black hat with silver detailing and two golden feathers set in it onto his head he ran for the nearest window he could find and jumped out, taking to the skies to see where he could find the struggle that he had heard a short while ago. Circling around a few times he flew up a bit higher than the top of the castle and scanned the area with with glowing vision and to his horror he saw Vladimir with Nyreena in his arms, trying to sink his fangs into her throat and make her his for all of eternity. His rage and fury boiling over the edge he quickly turned invisible and made a beeline for the tower. Silently landing on the roof a few mere seconds later he pulled a bow that was slung across his shoulders, took an arrow out of the quiver strapped to his back, strung it, and quietly as possible drew the arrow back and took aim. Waiting for the right moment he took one final aim and released the string the arrow flying off at the same time becoming visible and hit its mark into the vampire's right shoulder.

Just as his fangs were grazing Nyreena's skin ready to puncture it Vladimir suddenly felt an immensely sharp pain in his right shoulder, causing him to rear back in agony and roar an unearthly roar. As he did his arms swung back and knocked into Nyreena causing her to stumble back and fall off the edge of the tower. Luckily she was fully aware of what happened and was able to correct herself in the air, transforming at the same time into her battle armor and take off before she had a chance to hit the ground. Zooming straight up like a lightning bolt she hovered in midair in front of Vladimir giving him a determined look that said she was ready to fight him at any moment. Returning the look with a painful and aggravating growl the vampire turned to see who had shot him and was absolutely shocked to see who it was. Returning visible while his enemy roared in pain was Darren who was in dressed in his father's former military garment, black and silver trimmed, plus armed to brim with enough weapons to fight a small platoon. Realizing what was going on Vladimir pointed at his former slave and sneered, "Well, it looks like you were finally able to break my curse that I set upon your memories so many years ago. Now that you know who you are again I'm going to make sure that this time your memories are filled with nothing put pain and misery, so much of it that you will want forget everything that happens here tonight!"

Reaching up he ripped the arrow out of his shoulder, growling in pain once more, then unexpectedly launched himself off of the balcony right at Nyreena, causing the two to hurtle through the air and right into one of the wide balconies of the throne room. Suddenly feeling his stomach drop and shocked that he wasn't expecting something like this Darren jumped down onto the circular terrace and through the door, scrambling down the steps as fast as he could, reaching the bottom and flying through the corridors and up to the throne room, hoping to make it in time to save his true love's afterlife and stop his enemy before it was too late.


	8. The Battle to End All Battles

Finally reaching the throne room and finding the doors shut tight Darren summoned two powerful ghost rays and shot the doors open, practically blasting them apart and stepped in, expecting to see Vladimir waiting for him but wasn't expecting to see the scene before him. Vladimir was standing there but he was holding Nyreena in a strong telekinetic grip that felt like it was crushing her from the inside out, torturing her with the curse he placed upon her during the dance. Seeing that his former servant had arrived the vampire looked at him and chortled, "Well, it's about time you showed up! As you can see I placed a itty bitty little curse on the love of your afterlife while we were at the party just in case something like this might have come up. Since it has you have only two choices: either you surrender now, leave this place and never return or else fight me here and now for her, your friend's life and freedom, and this kindgom. So what's it going to be?"

Shocked that his former master had done something like this Darren considered each option as fast as he could not wanting to waste any time that it was taking for his immortal enemy to torture his true love. Then, out of nowhere, he suddenly gained back his long lost nerve and courage that had been buried deep within his heart and looked at Vladimir with a determined expression. Pointing right at him he answered, "We fight. Tonight, all the suffering that you have caused here in the present and in the past so long ago must be avenged as well as the afterlives that you stole twenty years ago, namely my mother and father the rightful king and queen of this kingdom."

Glaring at Darren, recognizing the stance he was making as the invitation for the impending battle Vladimir smirked in a cruel malice and agreed, "Very well, then. Since you want so much to end this once and for all I guess that I have no choice but do battle. Let me just take care of one small detail before we begin."

Flicking his hand he casted Nyreena straight through the air and into a pearl-colored coffin that was shockingly made to fit her size, the force of her landing causing the lid to slam shut and lock on itself, activating the spell set into it that made it impossible for her to phase out of the coffin. Seeing that the prize was safely locked away Vladimir turned back and grinned evilly in triumph. Returning it with a scorned glare Darren drew his sword prompting the vampire to do the same, both of them staring at each other for a few seconds before Vladimir charged and made the first strike Darren quickly blocking it. Pushing off the offensive blade the prince made his own strike the vampire having only seconds to block the weapon before it had the chance to slice him in the abdomen. Realizing that he was in for quite the clash Vladimir observed as they continued to duke it out that his former slave's skills haven't lost their touch since they haven't been in use for over twenty years. Their quarrel continued for minutes on end, as if their duel that occured two decades ago was picking up where it left off.  
A few blade strikes later Vladimir finally got the first strike getting Darren on his upper arm. Feeling the edge of the blade slice through his skin Darren growled in pain and fell to his knee as he clutched his wound feeling his ectoplasm bleeding out under his hand. Stepping back a few seconds Vladimir cackled in glee, "You still have that impressive skill about you but unfortunately it just can't match up to mine. Just be glad that my blade wasn't coated with the blood blossom extract that I used to kill your worthless parents so many years ago!"

Finally hearing the confession that he was desperately wanting Darren looked up with a new fire of determination in his eyes and slowly got to his feet, clearly ready to finish this fight for good. Letting go of his injury and pointing his sword at the vampire he countered, "Then that's where you made your last mistake. Maybe you should've always had it on your blade in case I was able to remember my memories. Now it's time to end this and make all the wrong you've caused right again and bring a new dawn to this kingdom."

Summoning his powers Darren charged his weapon with his ectoplasmic energy and drew himself into another battle stance, daring his enemy to come at him. Vladimir's eyes slitting with malice he swung his sword up and rushed forward bringing it down onto the prince who blocked again and quickly pushed the vampire off sending him back a few feet. Seeing his chance Darren dashed forward and began a major offensive to which Vladimir had to do everything he could to defend and trying to reverse things and overpower his opponent. Forcing him to stand in front of the balcony that was showing the faintest rays of dawn approaching Darren delivered a kick to the vampire's stomace who opened himself up allowing the prince to bring his sword point forward and stab the creature in the heart, forcing Vladimir down onto the floor. Pushing the blade in even further Darren growled while watching his enemy die, "I wonder, did you happen to plan something out in case you were finally defeated just as the sunrise was coming?"

Getting up and backing off Vladimir craned his neck to look at the mountain range and horror filled his eyes as the sun slowly began to rise above it. As its light began to fill the room he began screaming in terror and pain as it touched him and started turning him to ash. The light getting brighter and brighter the faster he burned away, squirming and trying all he could to get up but was pinned to the ground by the sword that was ripping his heart apart while he thrashed about. When the sun was halfway up the vampire was now nothing more than a pile of smoldering ash his evil finally vanquished and his terror never able to reach his goal. Staring at it Darren felt a wave of relief wash over him, glad that the never-ending nightmare was finally over. Sighing a breath relief his mind suddenly recalled that Nyreena was still stuck in the coffin and quickly rushed over to set her free. Kneeling down beside it he took his hat off, set it beside him, then undid the locks that held the lid close. As soon as the last one clicked it swung open and Nyreena shot up like a bolt of lightning about ready to hyperventilate as her fear of tight and enclosed spaces was reaching exponential levels. Looking around and seeing that she was finally free her vision noticed someone next to her and and snapped to see who it was. Happy to see that it was Darren she threw her arms around him and said, "Oh Darren, thank you so much for setting me free! Another five seconds in there and I would have been declared insane!"

"Easy, Nyreena, easy," Darren eased, returning the hug. "There's no reason for you to be afraid now. The monster's been defeated and everything is going to be alright once again."

The two hanging onto each other for a few more moments the prince helped the former princess out of her prison and made sure that she was really alright, checking her neck to see if he was too late from saving her the first time around. Relieved that this wasn't true he returned his gaze back into her bright blue eyes and she the same then a second later she asked, "Earlier you said that your mother and father were the rightful king and queen of the land. So does that really mean that you're one of the...?"

"Yes, it is," Darren agreed while smiling. "Though I may not have remembered that I was a prince when we met I can tell you now that I'm still going to be the same guy you met that first morning. Just not how we met that day."

Softly laughing at his joke Nyreena mentally agreed that if he wasn't who he really was when they first met he was still be the same kind, caring, honest, and most wonderful ghost she had ever known. Looking at him with her own loving look their lips drew closer and closer until they met and turned into a loving embrace that had been something Darren was waiting for a long time. As they continued to kiss a bright light suddenly appeared in front of them causing them to break apart and shield their eyes from the brightness. The light expanding it dispersed throughout the entire castle, restoring it to the point before it was destroyed so long ago. As it dimmed down they looked to see what had made that light Darren began crying tears of joy as he recognized the two spirits standing before him. Finally being released from being imprisoned into the walls of the castle was the spirits of the prince's parents, King Mondrius and Queen Borialey. Overjoyed that he could see them again Darren introduced, "Nyreena, I would like to meet my parents, Mondrius and Borialey the rightful rulers of the kingdom. Mother, Father, I would like to present the temporary princess that helped rule in your absence Nyreena Crystali Dark."

Bowing in respect Nyreena commented, "It is an honor to meet you, your Majesties. When you had disappeared all the nobles in the area were so lost without you that my father took it upon himself to rally all of them together and temporarily assume the crown and rule until either you had returned or fate would present to us our new king. And if you don't mind me asking what exactly happened to you to cause such an upset?"

"It was probably the saddest night anyone could have ever imagined," Mondrius answered without hesitation. "It was a rather quiet night and the sun had set behind the mountain range when unexpectedly we had an unknown visitor arrive at the castle. Being shown in he had introduced himself as Lord Vladimir Masters and had asked to head up a stead in town. I had asked him where exactly he wanted to call as his own is when he showed his true colors as a vampire/ghost halfa and declared that he wanted to permanently take up residence as the new king. Knowing that he had to be stopped I had summoned my guards and ordered to attack while I took Borialey and our two sons to hide them so that they wouldn't be in harm's way. Unfortunately, he was much more powerful than I could have realized and his destruction had overtook the entire castle. Before I knew it he had found Borialey and I and struck us down with an unknown force that quickly ended our afterlives right then and there. From that moment on we found ourselves trapped within the walls of our home, having no clue as to what happened to our youngest son Lukras, and watched as Darren fought against the creature and was defeated, watching as Masters blocked his memories and turned him into a servant. But now that the monster is destroyed we can finally move on and live in Paradise. Nyreena, I want to thank you and your family for keeping the kingdom strong and alive and waiting so long for this day to come. Because now, fate has decided to bring forth the new king to the land and it has chosen Darren to assume the throne at long last."

Confused about that Darren asked his father, "Wait, how do you know that it was me fate chose to rule the kingdom?"

"Why, that's a simple answer, my son," Borialey replied with a smile. "That day when your curious nature decided to push you to go outside the boundaries of the castle, setting off the chain of events that led up to this night and this point in time. Darren, it was always you who would save the kingdom from this nightmare and now that it's finally over a new light can shine through and a new generation can rule the land with peace and prosperity."

Nodding in agreement Mondrius added, "And now we can move on from this world knowing that our legacy is being left in good hands. Farewell, my son. Rule fair and rule well."

As they were about fade away Danny and Sam had just arrived, the husband supporting his wife as she slowly walked beside him, and saw the scene before them, confused as to what was going on. Shocked at seeing Sam in her state Nyreena went right over to them and said, "Sam, are you alright? Oh, my goodness, I can't believe that monster did this to you!"

"Don't worry, I'll make it through," Sam replied with a little more strength in her voice. "I'm just glad Danny saved me just in time."

Nodding in agreement Danny glanced over at the king and queen and suddenly his ghost side took over and said, "Mother....Father...you're alright!"

Hearing the familiar sound of their son's voice the two turned and instantly recognized him. Happy that he was alright his mother cried happily, "Lukras! Oh Lukras, you're alright! You're alright!"

The younger prince rushing forward the family gathered together one last time in a big group hug that lasted for a few seconds then broke apart, the parents saying their final goodbye and fading away in another flash of light, this time a little less bright than before. As soon as they left Danny regained control and turned back to his human form, asking, "Whoah, what just happened?"

"Just one final piece of closure needed to finish a chapter of life that finally needed to end," Darren answered while clapping Danny on the back.

Not sure what he meant Danny wondered, "So what exactly happened up here?"

"Well, after breaking the spell that was put on my memories Masters and I finally duked it out in one last battle that resulted in me the winner and him in that pile of ash," the prince answered, gesturing toward what was left of the vampire on the floor. 

Deciding to do something Darren walked over to it, wrenched his sword out of the floor, and brushed the pile out of balcony sending it fluttering down to the mountainside. Sheathing his blade he turned to look at his friends and said, "Come on, let's head down to the city and tell them what is going on. I'm sure that there are some answers that need to be known."

Helping Danny get his wife down to the ground level they met up with the rescue squad who informed them that the last of the enemy force was defeated just a short time ago. Giving his thanks to them Darren had a few help carry Sam as they traveled down the road to the city below, the prince and his true love walking hand in hand the entire way.


	9. At The End of A Happily Ever After

A few hours later the city was alive with its people starting up their daily routines of either getting their shops ready for business, market people getting their stands ready for display, or families waking up and preparing for their tasks for the day. As the morning guards were switching out with their nightly counterparts a few of them were conversing when one had noticed movement coming towards them. Pointing to it the others around him turned to see who it was and were happy to see that it was the rescue squad returning from their bout on the mountain tired, worn down, some injured, but relieved that they accomplished what they set out to do during the night. As they were getting closer one of the night guards went out to greet them, who approached Nyreena, bowed in respect and asked, "Your Highness, I'm relieved to see that you and the others are alright. Were you able to stop the creature before he had a chance to attack?"

"Yes, we were all victorious," Nyreena answered with a bit of cheer, however her voice sounded a bit rushed. "We'll explain all about it in detail soon but I need you to go and gather all the nobles and my parents and have them meet us in the town square as quick as possible. They need to know what has taken place and what is to come in the future."

Quickly nodding in reply the guards took a couple of his comrades and followed his orders, while the team moved towards the center of town and getting themselves situated around the fountain. Hearing that his friends were back Tucker dodged through the thick ground that was quickly beginning to gather and found them at the edge of the fountain. Approaching he said, "Hey, there you are. I heard that you guys won the fight. Are you all alright?"

"Yeah, we're all fine, Tuck," Danny agreed, going to stand next to his best friend. "Sam may take some time to heal but at least she's alive and will make it to see another day."

Looking over to see Sam's condition he nodded in agreement then glanced at Darren who didn't look like he usually looked and asked, "So why is Darren dressed like he's ready to fight to the finish with a small army."

"That's for you to find out when he and Nyreena explain what went down while the others and I were fighting the horde of monsters in the dungeons," the halfa answered as he pointed to the two.

Hearing a group of footsteps approaching everyone turned to see the temporary king and queen coming forward with the rest of the nobles walking behind them, including Sam's parents who as soon as they saw their daughter quickly rushed forward to see if their only daughter was okay. The crowd making way for their respected leaders to come through they semi-circled around the fountain ready to hear what was going on. Pariah, looking at his daughter, gave her a hopeful look and asked, "Nyreena, what is going on? Is that monster that was rumored to be lurking around the castle destroyed for good?"

"Yes, Father, he is gone," the temporary princess answered with relief in her voice. "And it's all thanks to the ghost standing beside me. Father, I would like to introduce to you to Darren, one of the missing princes and the rightful heir to the throne."

"The rightful heir? Wait, are you saying-," Pariah started to ask, but stopped from being completely flabbergasted at this revelation. "How is this possible? Where have you been all this time?"

"Please, your Majesty, I can answer all your questions," Darren replied, completely remaining calm throughout this. "The reason that I've been missing for all of these years is because that monster, a vampire known as Lord Vladimir Masters, destroyed my family and turned me into his servant, blocking my memories so I would have no idea of who I really was. But what he didn't know was that his spell wasn't as strong as he thought it was because my persistent curiosity got the better of me one day and from that moment on a chain of events was set off that led up to last night when I was able to break the spell, remember who I really was and what happened to my family, and was able to destroy the monster that caused such a nightmare for the entire kingdom."

Listening to the story Pariah was studying the young ghost with great intent, trying to find something that would help tie him to the royal family but when he was studying Darren's face he recognized the old king's features, especially the burning green eyes that he knew so well, and was convinced that this was the missing crown prince that had not been seen for so long. Bowing in respect at the future king he replied, "Your Majesty, we have been waiting for you for a long, long time now. Now knowing that you have overcome your obstacles and have become yourself again I can say that I am ready to relinquish the throne and the crown to you and let a new generation lead our kingdom into a new and brighter future."

Bowing back Darren replied, "Thank you, Lord Pariah. I also want to thank your family for everything you did to help keep everything running strong. I promise to be endowed to you for a long, long time."

Nodding his thanks Pariah turned around and ordered the townsfolk, "Alright everyone, we need to get the injured to the medical clinic as quickly as possible! Guards, bring Lady Manson and a couple of physicians to my manor immediately!"

Everyone scrambling to fulfill the decree the former king watched as his fellow nobles took off for their homes to begin work on preparing the necessary operations for the future coronation of their new king, townspeople helping their friends to get to a nearest clinic, and others getting back to what they were doing before but with a more excited look on their faces as they were elated that hope had been restored throughout their home. As he was overseeing things he had noticed that Darren and his daughter were talking with each other and saw that they were looking at each other with a loving look in their eyes and knew that there was a blossoming love between the two and that a wedding wasn't going to be too far away. Another few hours later when things were settling down the five friends were gathered at the Dark Manor sitting around Sam who was lying in bed resting comfortably after being treated for her many wounds that were inflicted on her. As they were talking Nyreena's parents came in to see how things were going. Replying that everything was okay Darren cleared his throat to catch all of their attentions he said, "Everyone, I again want to thank you for all of your help for helping me become myself again and defeating Masters from trying to take over the kingdom. Now that things are once again right I'm ready to take my place as king. But I'm afraid there's just one small piece of business that needs to be taken care of."

Taking Nyreena by the hand and leading her to the middle of the group he told her, "Nyreena, if it wasn't for you I would probably still be thinking that I was just a bumbling servant, doomed to serve a powerful vampire with goals of overtaking a kingdom and ruling it with cruelty and darkness. From the first moment I saw you I saw the face of an angel and I was instantly in love. And ever since that day my love for you kept growing stronger and stronger and stronger. And now that the biggest obstacle is out of the way, I was wondering if you would answer this burning question that I have."

Pulling out his mother's engagement ring and getting down on one knee he asked his true love as she began to cry tears of surprise and joy, "Nyreena, would you marry me and help rule the kingdom with me?"

Crying even harder now Nyreena said happily as she held out her ring finger for Darren to slide the ring onto, "Yes, oh yes! Oh, Darren this is the happiest moment in my life!"

Elated at the answer Darren quickly got up and kissed his fiancee in glee, everyone else in the room cheering with excitement and joy for the new couple. Pulling apart the two hugged each other lovingly and knew that this was the start of a new life for the both of them and a new life for the kingdom.

*****

Several months had passed by and the day had come for Darren and Nyreena's wedding day which was also the first day of spring, the date the two had chosen to symbolize new life and hope for the future. Holding the event at the church practically everybody who lived in town was there dressed in their finest white attire as was tradition for something as special as this. Entering from the side room the minister, a being known as Clockwork who was the master of time, came and stood at the alter ready to oversee the long awaited ceremony. A short while later the soon to be king followed by his groomsmen, who of course were Danny and Tucker, came down the aisle and took their places at the alter and waited for the processional to begin. Following only a few short moments later music began to play, telling everyone that things were about to begin. Everyone looking to the back the double doors opened up and the bridesmaids began to walk down the aisle, taking their places as well with Sam as the maid of honor standing across from her husband and looking at him with pure joy in her eyes for their friends. Returning the same look Danny glanced to the back as the bridal march began to play, cuing everybody to stand for the bride. The doors opening again it revealed Nyreena standing there with her father by her side wearing a beautiful slightly off-shoulder frost blue ballgown with intricate lace sleeves, a matching satin full-neck choker, and a pearl-colored veil set into her sapphire blue hair. Walking forward it was all she could do to keep herself from letting a few tears shed at the fact that she was really getting married to the love of her life. Reaching the end Pariah lifted the part of the veil that covered her face, kissed her on the cheek, then sat down next to his wife as he finally said goodbye to his only daughter. Smiling at the sight Darren stepped down and took his bride to be by the hand the two stepping closer to the altar. The preacher grinning at them both he began the ceremony, "We are gathered here today to join these two ghosts together in holy and eternal matrimony. These two have pledged to share their afterlives together bonded in marriage and everlasting love. If anyone should think that they should not be wed speak now or forever hold their peace."

Taking a few moments to look over the audience to see if anyone was going to object but hearing no one speak he nodded his head and continued, "If there are no objections, we can proceed. At this time, the bride and groom will share their vows with each other."

Nodding at Darren to begin the future king looked at his love and said, "Nyreena, I promise to stay forever faithful to you, to always trust you, and to always listen to what you have to say. From this day on, I will work out the problems we have with you while never getting angry about it. I will comfort you through the hardest of times and celebrate with you through the greatest of times. If you are ever in grave danger I will do all that I can to save you even if it means the cost of my afterlife to see that you are safe and out of harm's way. And above all, I promise to be not only your husband but your best friend and your greatest ally. You are my greatest treasure that I could have ever possibly have in the entire world."

His heartfelt words rippling throughout everyone in the room Nyreena began to cry as she spoke, "Darren, I promise to always love you and you alone no matter what. I will always be there for you, helping you out through the thick and the thin until we reach a solution. My heart will always be yours and will belong to no one else. I will fight with you through every battle and will avenge your death if possible. I will give you my strength if yours fails and my powers if you cannot summon yours. And above all, I promise to be not only your wife but your best friend and greatest ally. You are the greatest light of my life and will light my darkest paths and shine through my greatest triumphs."

The way they shared their love for each other practically made everyone feel it throughout their bodies warming everyone from the inside out. Seeing that they were ready for the next part of the ceremony Clockwork then asked, "May we have the rings, please?"

Pulling out two white gold bands, one set with a beautiful round cut diamond and two teardrop sapphires on each side, Danny handed them to the officiant who then presented the thinner one to Darren and said, "Please repeat this phrase: with this ring, I thee wed."

Nodding in agreement the prince took his bride's left hand, slipped the ring onto her finger and said, "With this ring, I thee wed."

Repeating the process Nyreena took the thicker band and slipped it onto her almost husband's finger and vowed, "With this ring, I thee wed."

"With this final testament and with the authority vested in me by the higher powers above, I pronounce them to be husband and wife," Clockwork announced to everyone's joy. "Prince Darren, you may kiss your bride."

Smiling with joy Darren drew Nyreena closer and gave her the first kiss as her husband. Happy to return it Nyreena continued to cry as she and her new husband were finally married. Pulling apart the two turned to faced the audience who were cheering for them. Over the applause Clockwork presented, "Now for the first time, I present to you King Darren and Queen Nyreena, the new rulers of the kingdom!"

Hearing their cue the two people chosen to carry the crowns came forward and placed them on the newlyweds' heads, signifying that they were officially the new rulers of the kingdom. Heading down the aisle the two led the way outside to the awaiting carriage climbing in as everyone followed and continued to cheer and applaud for the happy couple. As they rode off to the castle they watched as the crowd followed, waving to them as some caught up with the coach and waved to them. And through the back window while the new monarchs rolled further away to begin their reign everyone watched as they kissed again their love continuing to radiate through the years as they rule the kingdom with great peace that was certain to last for ages.


End file.
